What can we do, if our orders are not obeyed: Apex court

Hearing a plea seeking arrest of a politician’s musclemen, the Supreme Court Tuesday said policing is not a part of its mandate and it could not help if its orders were not being executed by the law enforcing agencies.

“If our orders are not being obeyed, then what can we do? We are not police,” said an apex court bench of Justice Markandey Katju and Justice T.S. Thakur.

The bench was disposing a petition seeking enforcement of its earlier order directing the arrest of alleged musclemen of former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP and Bihar’s criminal-turned-politician Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav.

The petitioner Rabinder Nath Singh moved the apex court seeking direction for enforcement of its earlier order by which it had cancelled the bail of Pappu Yadav and had said that he should be taken into custody forthwith.

On May 3, the apex court cancelled the bail of Pappu Yadav who was earlier granted bail by the Patna High Court.

Appearing for the petitioner, senior counsel Amarendra Saran asked the court to issue direction for the immediate arrest of Pappu Yadav. He told the court that Pappu Yadav was absconding and the court should order his arrest.

At this, Justice Katju said that judges of the Supreme Court do not have a magic wand and could not be expected to do everything for the execution of their directions.

Justice Thakur said the petitioner could also move the high court for the implementation of the apex court’s direction.

The bench asked the petitioner to approach the competent authority which would “do the needful” for the execution of the apex court’s May 3 order directing the arrest of Pappu Yadav.